


Heart & Souls

by stupidqpid



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: (if anyone needs a tw), (kinda), Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Crack Treated Seriously, Humor, M/M, Sleep Paralysis, attempt at crack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27747733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidqpid/pseuds/stupidqpid
Summary: Seonghwa got himself six pesky roommates when he moved to Seoul. At least his new neighbor manages to keep him sane.As sane as having six ghosts rooting for their “ship” --when they aren’t accidentally yet actively putting his life in danger-- allows.
Relationships: eventually Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	Heart & Souls

**Author's Note:**

> The cheesy title is from an old movie with Robert Downey Jr. with ghosts.
> 
> Italics for...otherworldly conversations ;) — those sections are dialogue-only with little to no names used, so in case anyone is curious I made a separate [doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/19ZhVyyfq4u5RlSP2JwpVcY4VfrElCqSw6S8MD0xzHTU/edit?usp=sharing) where I attempted to assign the dialogues

Old stuff, new start.

The long yearned for promotion finally arrived, and with it a change of headquarters that required moving across the country. It was with pride and high expectations bubbling in his chest that Seonghwa sticked the packing tape on the last of his boxes, neatly labeled as ‘toiletries’, and rapped giddily on it before piling it together with the others, ready to be picked up within the hour by the moving company to follow him to his new Seoul apartment.

He looked at the bare walls, at the empty furniture, and at the familiar view outside the window. While Jinju isn’t bumfuckville, it certainly isn’t as crammed with skyscrapers and buildings as his next destination, and Seonghwa kinda misses the relatively open spaces already. His parents were hanging out with him one last time before they would be able to see him only for some holidays, and their unearthing of ancient childhood photos of his, followed by waxing poetics about how proud of him they were, wasn’t helping with the premature homesickness either.

The movers acted quickly and efficiently. As soon as the truck was loaded with boxes, and Seonghwa’s parents bid him goodbye and good luck with watery smiles and tight hugs that almost made him rethink relocating, the young man grabbed his duffel bag, hopped in his car and followed his belongings towards his new life. 

  
  


It was around dinner time by the time the movers finished bringing Seonghwa’s stuff to the respective rooms, even assembling and hanging the newly bought furniture, and left him with a courteous bow to familiarize himself with the new place. The company he worked for got it for him: while not huge, the apartment was such a far cry from his shoe-box sized bedroom in his parents’ home that he had to fight the urge to jump on the couch.

...There wasn’t anyone around to stop him, though, right? He could do whatever the  _ hell  _ he damn pleased in his own home, couldn’t he? So he did: he fell back first on the couch, flailing arms and legs around, and giggling like a little kid who overdosed on sugar.

Eventually coming down from the high of living in a better place and having a better job, Seonghwa eyed the looming boxes with growing resignation, not quite sure if he should start unpacking now or leave it to the next day. 

A growl echoed in the empty apartment, his stomach making the decision for him.

***

_ “Another one…” _

_ “Cheer up, DJ Khaled, we’re gonna have fun with him too.” _

_ “Who the fuck.” _

_ “You mean ‘whomst’.” _

_ “What--” _

_ “I don’t know, he was some guy from some video one of the previous tenants watched.” _

_ “Get with the times, gramps. No wonder your scare tactics are so outdated.” _

_ “But still effective, thank you very much. Also we’ve since found out I’m younger than you all, who are you calling gramps.” _

_ “I mean, we  _ did  _ die years after you, so…” _

_ “You want respect as the eldest spirit but then turn around when it’s convenient to be the youngest? Make it make sense.” _

_ “Why are we still discussing hierarchy when we are.fucking.dead?!” _

_ “Children…” _

  
  


_ “For such a pretty face he sure is weird.” _

_ “He fits right in with us! Right, lads?” _

_ “...” _

_ “I mean yeah, but…” _

_ “I didn’t know you were British, the fuck?” _

***

Even though it was some simple delivered food, Seonghwa was looking forward to his first meal in the new place. He closed the door behind himself after thanking the delivery guy, but as he turned he felt like he walked straight into a cold spot right there in the shoes area: no draft could be felt, though, no matter where he looked for the origin, so Seonghwa decided to look into it in the morning.

Food is better eaten warm.

_ "Leave him alone, Yunho. It's not like you can taste anything…" _

_ “But fooood! Look, he got cheesy tteokbokki and fried chicken!” _

_ “...Fried chicken, you said?” _

Blessed be the movers, they even connected all the cables of the tv so it was already running while Seonghwa had dinner, flicking mindlessly from one channel to the other until he settled for a re-re-rerun of a drama he nearly knew by heart. It functioned mostly as white noise while he shoveled down food with one hand and scrolled through his phone with the other, answering the occasional phone call from relatives and friends who wanted to know how he was adjusting.

On screen, a character got friendzoned in favor of the asshole protagonist.

***

_ “...Flickering lights don’t cut it much nowadays, you gotta hit where it hurts: phones and computers.” _

_ “I thought we were over this topic?” _

_ “Yeah, modern problems require modern solutions.” _

_ “Oh god he keeps talking in memes, someone make him stooop~” _

_ “This drama is  _ still  _ running??” _

_ “Lights can be a hit or miss because it could be reduced to power outage, but mirrors are a classic, in my opinion.” _

_ “Hmm, agreed, but nothing beats a good ol’ slamming of doors and cabinets, you feel me?” _

_ “That’s because you’re a chaotic-- San! Stop snooping in his stuff!” _

_ *  _ _ thump _ _ thump THUMP T H U M P * *  _ **_CRASH_ ** _ * _

“FU-- _ OWW _ !”

_ “And  _ I’M _ the chaotic one, huh?” _

_ “Shut up, Wooyoung.” _

Seonghwa bit down on his chopsticks,  _ hard _ , spraying half of the mouthful of japchae on the sleek coffee table. He held a hand up to his mouth, both in shock and to feel some relief from the sudden pain, eyes watering a bit, as he cautiously made his way to the pile of boxes now scattered halfway through the combined kitchen and living room. The young man looked forlornly at the mess of pans, books and knick-knacks that avalanched only a few feet away from his spot on the couch. He felt sorry for his neighbors, especially the ones downstairs; not so much so for the abomination that was a souvenir his aunt got him two years prior and that now laid shattered irreparably.

With his heart up in his throat more at the thought of confronting some peeved resident than at the double work of cleaning up and putting stuff away, he unpacked broom and dustpan and rolled up his sleeves.

_ “...Oops?” _

_ “Are you sure you aren’t in the process of reincarnating into a cat?” _

_ “I was going to say that my favorite scare technique is throwing stuff, but that works too.” _

_ “I personally hope he likes his fruits halved.” _

_ “Oh man, that’s a rite of passage in this household! I can’t wait to see his face.” _

***

_ * knock knock knock * _

Seonghwa looked up like a meerkat. Careful not to step on some unseen china shards, he tiptoed to the entrance (mostly to buy time and psych himself up), where he flung the door open without asking for a name or checking the peephole. 

Standing a few inches shorter than him was a petite guy swimming in an oversized striped fuzzy sweater, with a small hand raised to knock again, and eyes open in surprise and mild alarm. The stranger snapped out of it quickly, breaking out in a dazzling wide grin that pushed his eyes half-closed in gentle curves.

“Hello! I’m not around much to know all the neighbors but I’m Hongjoong and I live next door, nice to meet you!” His welcoming smile and cheery tone took a more concerned lilt when he added, “I heard a loud crash, are you okay?”

Seonghwa flushed, mortified by the  _ great  _ impression he made upon transferring to “the big city” and appreciative for the guy’s  face mindfulness.

“Yes, I’m  _ very  _ sorry about that. Apparently the boxes had been placed more precariously than I thought when I moved in and they eventually fell. I’m Seonghwa, by the way, nice to meet you too,” he explained before introducing himself, a hand outstretched which Hongjoong shook firmly.

“I’d like to say I’m a knock away if you need help with anything,” the shorter started, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, “but I’m home for a few hours only in the very early morning and sometimes in the evening before I go out again, so I’m afraid I wouldn’t be very useful…”

Hongjoong pouted unconsciously while flicking his eyes to the side; Seonghwa barely met him and he already wanted to squish him and tuck him in bed. Without noticing, silence fell upon them and stretched to an almost embarrassing point. It wasn’t until the former looked back at Seonghwa, perplexed, that the newcomer finally snapped out of his domestic fantasies, waving his hands a bit frantically.

“Oh, everything is under control now, thanks for checking in...” he trailed off, the urge to kick himself choking him up. He cleared his throat. “I hope we’ll manage to bump into each other sometimes, regardless of your crazy hours…”

The pearly-white smile returned in full force on Hongjoong’s face as he nodded happily. 

“It’s great to have someone around my age right next door! If you really don’t need me I’ll leave you to...your...mess?” Hongjoong chuckled hesitantly, relieved to see Seonghwa snort somewhat amused by that. “Goodbye, then, and goodnight. Until next time.”

Shooting one last contagious smile at the new neighbor, he scurried back to his own home, waving a hand quickly with his thumb cutely tucked in his palm before closing the door behind himself. Seonghwa too stepped back inside, with a bashful smile that quickly turned into a frown when he walked through an even chillier spot than earlier. He really ought to check for the source the next morning.

Only a few hours in, and the seed of doubt that the company got him one of the least expensive accommodations they could find without looking like total cheapskates started to sprout its roots.

***

_ “Aw he’s so tiny!” _

_ “He looks around my height, what do you mean ‘tiny’.” _

_ “Exactly what I said.” _

_ “Ohhh someone is already smitten~!” _

_ “Damn, new dude got game!” _

_ “It was awkward on both ends, are you kidding me?” _

_ “Guys, stop looming over them...” _

_ “Yeah, let them flirt in peace!” _

_ “You call that flirting?” _

_ “Ohhh here comes Dr. Strangelove to enlighten us~” _

_ “Guys…” _

_ “Should we welcome this Seonghwa guy properly or was San’s accident enough for now?” _

_ “Bitch, is that even a question?” _

***

After fishing the brand new pajama set his parents gifted him for the occasion from one of the many boxes littering the new place, Seonghwa made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower and get ready for the night. He had a whole weekend of hardcore cleaning and organizing to look forward to, he better be well rested.

Surely after the long drive he’ll sleep like a log.

_ “C’mon guys, let’s give him some privacy at least now--” _

_ “Whew! Look at  _ that _!” _

_ “Who would’ve guessed that he had abs??” _

_ “It’s a bit on the flat side but he has a cute butt~” _

_ “Oh my god someone hold me, he pushed his wet hair from his fACE I’M GONNA FAINT!” _

_ “Get off me, you weirdo.” _

Seonghwa could’ve sworn the bathroom was nice and toasty when he got in, so he didn’t expect to be freezing his balls off after showering. He shivered as he dried himself, and the towel around his hips kept annoyingly coming undone, so he hurried to wear his pajamas.

_ “OW!” _

_ “Pervert.” _

_ “You can’t feel it, whatchu mean?!” _

_ “Hey, how about we try to communicate with him?” _

_ “Great idea!” _

**_*scribble scribble*_ **

_ “...and you call that communicating?” _

_ “I call it graffiti.” _

_ “You caveman.” _

As he turned, Seonghwa’s attention was immediately caught by a smiley and a penis doodled on the fogged mirror. He approached the sink cautiously without looking away, his brows furrowed as he examined the drawings: what in the world did the previous tenant use that it hasn’t come off to this day?! And who was immature enough to scribble a penis? 

“Did a middle schooler live here before?” he muttered.

Seonghwa kept staring at them while brushing his teeth, absentmindedly contemplating whether to bother with a sheet mask or going straight to sleep. The doodles grew fainter as the mirror progressively got drier, until he took a towel and passed it on the surface, scrubbing harder over them. Once satisfied he checked his own face one last time and left the bathroom, turning the lights off and closing the door behind himself.

_ “Well, I’m offended.” _

_ “Well, he’s right, you  _ are  _ a middle schooler.” _

_ “It was a masterpiece of a dick!” _

_ “You can’t relate, huh?” _

_ “Dick jokes even in this realm? And  _ I’m _ the immature one?” _

_ “Would you quiet down?” _

_ “And then what, he can hear us? Isn’t that the point?” _

_ “No, it’s just that we could play with him for longer…” _

_ “Aww our Yeosangie is finally learning!” _

_ “Shtaph p’llin’ mah chweeks…” _

***

The mattress was comfortable. 

The bed sheets smelled too new but were soft. 

The pillow was a cloud.

Seonghwa was having a good sleep.

...Then why did he wake up in the middle of the night?

More importantly, why couldn’t he move?

Most importantly: wHO the fUCK ARE THESE PEOPLE LOOMING OVER HIM?!?!?

Try as he might, Seonghwa couldn’t even lift a finger; he wasn’t sure his mouth opened either, a scream stuck in his throat. His eyes were wide open, though, staring petrified (literally, it seemed) at the six faces around the bed, three per side. 

One of them giggled. Seonghwa immediately looked at the guy, but as soon as he did he blinked, and they all vanished. 

After a few more minutes of apprehensive wait, sensation started flowing back through Seonghwa’s limbs. Once he felt more in his wits, he jumped out of bed and lunged for the lights.

Nobody was there. He even checked under the bed and the wardrobe for his peace of mind, pretty much ripping the doors open, but he didn’t find anything there either. 

Although uneasy, Seonghwa decided to check the rest of the apartment. He turned the bathroom’s light on and opened the door.

_ Nobody _ .

He turned the lights on in the living room and kitchen.

_ Nadie _ .

He checked the entrance.

_ Niemand _ .

Still on edge from what he saw and felt, yet relieved from what he  _ didn’t _ find, he went back to sleep. It was quite the ordeal, tossing and turning for what felt like forever until exhaustion won, but he managed to have a dreamless and peaceful rest of the night.

_ “I always feel bad when we do this trick…” _

_ “This “trick” has been our welcoming tradition for years. I see no reason to change it.” _

_ “Oh, I  _ know _. You mentioned being the one who started it, after all.” _

_ “I mean, the others accepted when I suggested it…” _

_ “Not me, but I was the minority, so...” _

_ “Don’t act all high and mighty now, I heard the stories about what a naughty ghost you could be at times~” _

_ “Only when they pissed me off-- Wait, who told you?” _

_ “...” _

_ “Yunho!” _

_ “It was my realtor! At least I got one honest enough to tell me about this place’s history. The same can’t be said about some of y’alls.” _

_ “Damn, you right.” _

_ “And you still came to live here?” _

_ “I never believed in ghosts.” _

_ “Oh the turn tables.” _

_ “For real though, It’s a wonder nobody has wound up dead from this trick alone and joined our haunting.” _

_ “Shhh he’s back!” _

_ “He’s going back to sleep. Do you guys want to continue or should we stop here?” _

_ “I think it’s enough for tonight. Let’s not overwhelm him right off the bat or we won’t be able to play with him for long.” _

_ “You’re a real bastard, you know that?” _

_ “You love me.” _

_ “Says who.” _

_ “You wound me.” _

_ “...Don’t make me say it.” _

_ “Got it.” _

***

Seonghwa woke up groggy and unsettled, the events of last night coming straight back to mind. Instinctively he looked around his room once again, but he was truly alone. He would chalk it up to the new city, the new experience of finally living alone, and the jitters for a new working environment coming Monday morning, but it was the very first time he suffered from sleep paralysis. Man, never again.

His morning routine went as usual. Every now and then his eyes would fleet back to where he saw the doodles on the mirror, but they seemed to be gone. 

After a quick stop at the convenience store across the street to fetch something for breakfast and eating it somewhat mechanically at the kitchen counter, Seonghwa looked between his collapsed pile of boxes and the entrance, where he just recalled finding a cold spot the previous evening. Strangely enough he didn’t experience it just now, but still went to check every nook and cranny in case he had to notify his company.

Cautiously optimistic that it was a one-off and taking a mental note to check again in the evening in case it depended on the time of day, Seonghwa put the quote unquote mysterious cold spots to the back of his mind and focused on more pressing matters. He rolled his sleeves up and set to dust and sweep the whole place, and deep cleaned the fridge and other appliances.

Before he knew it it was just past his usual lunch time. Another round of delivered food it is.

...Cross his heart he’ll do his groceries before the day ends.

_ “Did he really just use a lint roller on the motherfucking floor?! TWICE?!?” _

_ “Man, he’s so anal…” _

_ “Giggity~” _

_ “Really now.” _

_ “Some of us could’ve learned a thing or two from him but, well, it’s too late now…” _

_ “There’s a limit even to cleanliness, though, damn.” _

The afternoon was dedicated to putting together the handful of easily assembled items Seonghwa didn’t request the movers to fix, and to the daunting task of starting to organize his belongings. And cleaning.  _ Again _ .

Yeah, fun times. Things surely would’ve been easier and swifter if tools and hardware didn’t disappear from right under his nose: while at first he gave himself the benefit of the doubt of being so focused he forgot he put his stuff on the left instead of the right, it soon started getting frustrating and lowkey spooky when he would spot them feet away from where he was, especially those that didn’t have a shape that would allow them to roll away.

D.I.Y. and home improvement are one of Seonghwa’s hobbies, but it sure was an ordeal to complete  _ one  _ thing that day. Whatever had it out for him won: he left the house in a huff, determined to at least get groceries if he couldn’t progress further than that in settling in his new place. 

Hopefully on Sunday things will be better.

_ “Wouldn’t it be a pity if this packet of screws got all the way over here~” _

_ “How mad will he be if I put this part of the hinge behind the couch?” _

_ “Oh he’ll be  _ mad  _ mad…” _

_ “Wooyoungie hyung~” _

_ “Get away from me with that contraption!” _

_ “How the fuck do you fit over there, you lamppost?!” _

_ “He he…” _

_ “Can’t tell what’s more impressive, Yunho being on top of the fridge or San being folded up in that itty bitty cabinet.” _

_ “Heh heh heh...” _

_ “Did everyone forget we are incorporeal or…?” _

_ “He’s back!” _

_ “Poor guy, he’s loaded like a mule.” _

_ “Yeosangie, when will you start behaving like a ghost?” _

_ “I’m convinced you’re no common ghost but rather a poltergeist.” _

_ “How dare you.” _

_ “YES!” _

_ “Huh?” _

_ “He got apples!” _

**_*gasp*_ **

_ “Excellent.” _

_ *Okay Mr Burns. Jongho?” _

_ “On it, duh.” _

Seonghwa put all the grocery bags on the table with a relieved huff; one-trip only or die trying, or however the saying goes. He might’ve bought a bit too much for his single household, though, he had to admit it.

While arranging some food in the fridge, Seonghwa heard a soft rustle coming from the bags with produce he placed on the table. He whipped his head in that direction, but didn’t see anything amiss. It wasn’t until he cleared the table some and reached for the fruit bags that he saw it.

An apple perfectly split in half, with the edges just barely starting to oxidize.

Seonghwa fainted.

  
  


_ “Weak.” _

_ “Insensitive.” _

_ “You.” _

_ “No, you.” _

_ “Before we reach the yo mama stage, let’s stop here.” _

_ “He’s the first one I see passing out, the others would run away screaming.” _

_ “They used to faint more back in my day.” _

_ “Okay boomer.” _

_ “Leave those stupid memey insults in the living realm.” _

_ “Uh, Yeosang? What are you doing with that glass--” _

Seonghwa startled, sputtering water that ended up his nose, which was burning like a bitch. He looked around, still coughing, half expecting to see someone by his side with a glass in hand.

There  _ was  _ a still wet glass with a bit of a puddle forming underneath, but he was—as always, since he moved in—alone.

Seonghwa jumped to his feet, put the glass back in the rack and quickly wiped the wet spot on the floor. Dinner would be about an hour away, but the tension had his stomach in a knot, so he decided to wash up and head to bed already. He was in front of the bathroom door when he halted, hand on the handle, and spun around with a determined expression.

“You are not welcome here! You already lived your life here, now it’s my turn! Please move on to the other side!”

You could hear a pin drop after his tirade.Seonghwa was slightly trembling while looking around his apartment at large, but nothing came flying at him so he counted it as a win. He’ll probably have to check for carbon monoxide leaks, though: hopefully tomorrow morning won’t be too late.

Seonghwa’s nighttime routine went by uneventfully. He went to sleep guarded yet optimistic.

_ “He’s either a trooper or an idiot.” _

_ “Why do you want to make him run away so badly?” _

_ “I _ don’t  _ want him to run away, what are you talking about?” _

_ “We’re this close to drive him crazy or make him die of fright and you’re the most vicious, what are  _ you  _ talking about?!” _

_ “Yeo. We’re ghosts. We haunt. I know you’re the youngest in terms of ghost years but it has been seven years, I thought you got the memo.” _

_ “Don’t patronize me.” _

_ “Sorry. But you have to admit it’s fun~” _

_ “He has been here for barely 24 hours!” _

_ “Uhm, should we try beating our record for how fast we make the tenant leave?” _

_ “Wooyoung.” _

_ “Fiiiiine, I’ll tone it down.” _

_ “...How about trying for the opposite record?” _

_ “You mean make him stay longer than the others despite our tricks?” _

_ “Yeah!” _

_ “Booooring _ \--ouch! _ ” _

_ “You can’t get hurt, drama queen.” _

_ “But I can still feel it!” _

_ “So is everybody on board with simply annoying him instead of scaring the shit out of him?” _

_ “Yunho...” _

_ “Okay lemme rephrase: is everybody on board with  _ ~interacting~ _ with the newest tenant without scaring the shit out of him?” _

_ “Yep!” _

_ “Uh-uh.” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “Sure.” _

_ “Yeah.” _

_ “Let the games begin _ ~”

“Oh god.”

**Author's Note:**

> I already know it's a bad idea to post a barely started WIP ~~when there are more waiting for me to finally finish them~~ but here we are. Bad decisions at 3AM.
> 
> The order of haunting and their stories/pasts will be explained in the future. Hopefully.


End file.
